


Art Is A Gift

by superbambi



Series: Azurrin Week 2017 [4]
Category: Fire Emblem: If | Fire Emblem: Fates
Genre: Azurrin Week 2017, Day 4, F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-09
Updated: 2017-08-09
Packaged: 2018-12-13 07:50:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,956
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11755332
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/superbambi/pseuds/superbambi
Summary: Shigure has always loved drawing for his parents, ever since he was given his first crayons. Now he finally lives with them, and he wants to do something special.





	Art Is A Gift

**Author's Note:**

> Quick heads up: my Kana is non binary, so they/them pronouns are used.  
> I have a tumblr: heysupernumpty  
> Hope you enjoy, let me know what you think!

The first gift Shigure can remember his parents giving him was a box of crayons, in every colour he could imagine, and some he couldn’t. He’d opened the lovingly wrapped box with wide eyes, and stared entranced at all the crayons. He’d asked if he was allowed to draw with them, because these looked far too nice to use.

“Of course,” Mama laughed, “why don’t you draw something, and show us next time we’re here?”

Shigure had beamed in delight, and eagerly promised to make a pretty picture for them. As soon as they left, he’d rushed back to his room, and pulled out his paper. Then he elegantly placed the crayons in front of him, and sat staring at them for a while, hand hovering indecisively over the many colours.

For Mama’s hair, he picked a crayon that was blue like the sky, then used a yellow crayon to draw a blob for her necklace. Her dress was mostly white, so he couldn’t colour it, but he used his blue again for the other bits. Mummy’s hair was cream, and her armour was grey, but she had a pretty dark blue cape, which he found a perfect crayon for. For himself, he picked the sky blue for his hair, then the dark blue for his outfit. The sun was a big yellow blob in the corner of the paper, and he found a pretty green to draw some trees with. Finally, he used red to draw big smiley faces on everyone. He sat back happily, proud of his work of art.

He waited at the window with his drawing beside him every day, looking for the small flash of light that meant his mothers were here. When they finally visited again, he’d ran over to them and thrust his drawing into their hands, excitedly pointing out everything he’d drawn for them.

“Look, look! There’s me an’ there’s Mama an’ that’s Mummy, an’- an’ there’s trees an’ sunshine an’ we’re smiley! Do you like it? Did I do good?”  
“I think it looks great! You’ll be an artist in no time!” Mummy had said, hugging him.  
“The colours looks very pretty Shigure.” said Mama, kissing him on the head.  
“It’s a present for you, so- so- so you can take it with you!”

Mama promised to keep it in their room, and he beamed with pride. Mummy then lifted him onto her shoulders as he squealed in delight, and the three of them set off for a picnic in the flower meadow, singing and laughing all the way.

———

Every time his mothers visited, he gave them a picture he’d drawn for them, and made them promise to keep it. They’d encouraged his drawing skills, and when he was older, they gave him more sets of pencils. He practiced religiously with them, until he eventually graduated to a paint set. The first time Shigure used the paints was a disaster: he’d used far too much water, and the paint had gone everywhere except the paper. His mothers had laughed when he’d sheepishly asked for help cleaning up, his clothes, face, and hair covered in runny paint. They helped in the end of course, and before they left, he made them solemnly swear not to tell anyone else what happened.

He stuck to pencils for a while after that, but when he heard his parents were coming to visit again, he tried the paint set again, this time with a slightly better understanding of how to use them. He had settled on a self portrait. Finding the right blues for his hair and clothes were no problem, but the issue came with his eyes. No matter what combination he tried, he couldn’t get quite the right shade of gold. Frustrated and pressed for time, he’d considered settling for a dull yellow instead, which was close enough to the right colour. However, his desire for perfection won through, and so he sat at his desk for hours, trying to mix the perfect gold, until eventually, he found it.

When his mothers arrived, he presented the piece as always, but he was determined to not let his hard work go unnoticed.  
“Do you like the eyes?” He said, “I was up for ages trying to get the right colour, but I think I got it in the end.” His mother had smiled at him, that same shade of gold sparkling with pride.  
“I think they’re beautiful,” she said, then she fixed him with a semi-serious look, “but what do you mean ‘up for ages’, hmm?”  
“Mother, please!” He grumbled indignantly. His parents laughed teasingly at his expense, and although he tried to keep frowning, he couldn’t help but laugh with them.

———

It was strange, Shigure thought, to be here. Not just out of the Deeprealms, but to be living and fighting with his parents, able to see them whenever he wanted, not having to wait weeks or months between visits. His extended family had been delighted to see him, but there was just so many of them, it was a little overwhelming. And then, there was the first time he’d met Kana. He’d known about his sibling, of course, but all the stories he’d heard could not prepare him for the grey and blue blur who launched themselves at him in excitement, knocking them both to the ground.

In his first days at the fort, he’d found the small glade of trees located away from the bustling central plaza. It was nothing like the forests in his Deeprealm, but it was quiet, slightly secluded, and gave him some time away from everyone. Today he’d brought his art supplies, with the intent to finish a piece he’d started earlier. In the weeks since his arrival, he’d had little time to devote to his art, instead spending most of his day training with his aunt and the other sky knights. He’d only managed to finish one drawing, a portrait of Kana, who’d squealed in delight when he’d presented it to them.

Shigure worked in the shade of the trees, head close to the paper in concentration. His brush strokes were light, each one carefully planned and precisely applied. Today’s piece was intended as a surprise gift, and he was determined it would be the finest piece he’d made. His desire for perfection made him anxious, but he still strived for every shade to be exact, to have no line out of place.

After a couple of hours, he felt he was finally finished, and began to pack his equipment away.

“So this is where you hide yourself.” He startled slightly at the voice (thank goodness he wasn’t painting anymore), and turned to see Corrin leaning against the tree.  
“Mother, I didn’t expect to see you here.”  
“Given where you are, I don’t think you expected anyone, am I right?” He laughed a little awkwardly at that.  
“Ah, well, that was the idea.” She smiled at that, a wide gesture that suddenly reminded him of Kana. He finished packing, and stood to join her.  
“Come on,” she said, “your mother was beginning to wonder where you’d gone. She wants us all to have tea tonight.”

He followed her out the woods, clutching his bag with the painting inside. They walked in comfortable silence through the camp, and up the spiralling staircase that led to his mothers’ private quarters. When he first arrived, he’d asked Corrin why she wanted to live in a tree-house, when, with Dragon Veins, she could have had virtually anything. She’d grinned cheekily, and said that tree-houses were obviously cooler, and while he wasn’t entirely convinced that was true, he did admire her creativity.

Inside the house, the fireplace was already lit, with a teapot warming up nearby. Azura was sitting cross-legged on the floor, patiently listening to Kana, who was enthusiastically telling her about a cool bird they’d seen one time. When she noticed them walk in, Azura had smiled, and gestured for Shigure to come sit with her, offering a cup of tea as he did. Kana waved eagerly, and somehow managed to shout a greeting at him while still telling their story. Corrin had ruffled their hair fondly, and sat between them and Shigure.

The evening passed in a similar manner, the four of them drinking tea and talking, spending time together as a family in a way they hadn’t been able to before. It was when Kana began falling asleep halfway through their sentences that they decided to call it a night. Corrin carried Kana to bed, and once she had returned, Shigure took his painting from his bag, and nervously approached his parents.

“Mother, I- I wanted to give you this.” He thrust the painting in their general direction, and Azura gently took it from his slightly shaky hands.  
“Oh Shigure,” she gasped, “it’s wonderful.”

The painting was based on a memory of a time they’d picnicked in a meadow, and Corrin, spontaneous romantic that she was, had pulled Azura into a waltz. Between her bashful giggles, Azura had hummed a simple tune, and Shigure had watched in wonder at his parents swirling in the flowers, and laughing in childlike glee.

He’d painted them in the middle of that dance, embracing each other in a loose waltz pose. Azura was captured as she laughed, head thrown back slightly, eyes closed and mouth open in unguarded joy. She had pressed herself against Corrin, one hand resting on her shoulder, the other extended. Corrin was also laughing, but her shining red eyes were fixed solely on her wife, love and affection pouring from her gaze. She had one hand wrapped around Azura’s waist, drawing her closer, and the other clasping her extended hand.

Shigure had wanted to paint this scene for years, but only now did he feel he could do his memory justice. He wanted to show his parents how he saw them, and this scene best captured that, he felt. Finally being able to live with them had given him the perfect incentive to surprise them with it, and seeing their stunned expressions made all his determination for perfection worth it. Eventually, they pulled him into a tight hug.

“I always knew you’d be an artist.” Corrin said, pride filling her voice. Azura nodded beside her, her eyes shining as she regarded her son.  
“We’ll have to put this somewhere on display. Not just on the wall.”  
“The wall?” Shigure asked, eyebrows knotting in confusion.  
“Have we never mentio-,” Azura began, before she smiled, and grabbed his arm, “Come with me.”

She led him to their bedroom, a room pointed out to him on his initial tour, but which he’d never had good enough reason to go in before, then pointed out the wall opposite the bed. The wall was covered, nearly from ceiling to floor, with letters and drawings which Shigure realised, with a jolt, were all by himself and Kana. He recognised his first crayon drawing, his various attempts at dragons, his first self-portrait, all pinned proudly on the wall.

“Why did you keep all these?” he asked finally.  
“Because they were all we could have of you for the longest time. And, because you asked us to. But this one,” Azura tapped the new painting, “this one is going on display.” She smiled. “This deserves to be seen.”

He smiled back at her, unable to keep himself from glowing in her pride and love. He pulled his mother into a hug, and when Corrin appeared at the door, he pulled her in as well.

“Thank you,” he said, thickly, “for everything.” Azura pulled back to look at him, and gently pushed his fringe from his eyes.  
“No Shigure,” she replied, “thank _you_.”


End file.
